Suzuka 8 Hours
Encyclopedia

The is a motorcycle endurance race held at the Suzuka Circuit
Suzuka Circuit
, Suzuka Circuit for short, is a motorsport race track located in Ino, Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture, Japan and operated by Mobilityland Corporation, the subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd..-Introduction:...

 in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 each year. As the name implies, the race runs for eight hours consecutively and teams are composed of two riders and one alternate.

History

The race began in 1978 as a race for prototype Tourist Trophy
Isle of Man TT
The International Isle of Man TT Race is a motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man and was for many years the most prestigious motorcycle race in the world...

 Formula One
Formula TT
The Formula TT was a racing class for motorcycles from 1977 to 1989 as the official World Cup under the umbrella of International Motorcycling Federation...

 (TT-F1) motorcycles which meant the big four Japanese companies (Honda
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...

, Kawasaki, Suzuki
Suzuki
is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...

 and Yamaha), who had unlimited engineering resources, could use them on the track.

Throughout the years, the race had gone through several rule changes in accordance to the FIM
Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme
The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme is the governing body of motorcycle racing. It represents 103 national motorcycle federations that are divided into six regional continental unions....

, including the restriction to 750cc for F1 bikes

One major change for the race came in 1993. Due to the high popularity of Superbike racing
Superbike racing
Superbike racing is a category of motorcycle racing that employs modified production motorcycles. Superbike World Championship is the international superbike championship, and national superbike championships are held in many countries as well, including the United Kingdom, the United States,...

, which had been a support class in previous 8 Hours races, the race now centered around superbikes. The Formula One class, which at the time was the pinnacle of the race, would be removed altogether. Another category included in the race is the Naked class (for motorcycles without fairings - similar to the streetfighter bikes).

At the event's peak during the 1980s, the race attracted in excess of 130,000 spectators while presently it attracts a crowd around 85,000. The record attendance figure is 160,000 in 1990. The race is part of the FIM
Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme
The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme is the governing body of motorcycle racing. It represents 103 national motorcycle federations that are divided into six regional continental unions....

 Endurance World Championship
Endurance World Championship
Endurance World Championship is the premier worldwide endurance motorcycle racing championship. The championship season consists of a series of races held on permanent racing facilities. The results of each race are combined to determine two annual World Championships, one for teams and one for...

 for motorcycles and with the exception of 2005, due to the high importance the big four Japanese manufacturers place on the race, the governing bodies set a race date that avoids conflict with any of the other major championship races.

Star riders

A main attraction of the Suzuka 8 Hours race is that it normally features star riders from MotoGP
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing currently divided into three distinct classes: 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP. The 125cc class uses a two-stroke engine while Moto2 and MotoGP use four-stroke engines. In 2010 the 250cc two-stroke was replaced...

 and Superbike racing factions from around the world. It is not uncommon for a rider to have the 8 Hours race written into their contracts when they acquire a factory ride in MotoGP or Superbike. If the rider has notable success in their respective class during the season, they will usually negotiate to have the requirement of racing future 8 Hours races removed from their contract. Most high-level riders don't like racing it because it breaks up their mid-season momentum and because it is physically draining. Michael Doohan
Michael Doohan
Michael "Mick" Doohan AM is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion, who won five consecutive 500 cc World Championships. Only Giacomo Agostini with eight and Valentino Rossi with seven have won more.-Biography:Originally from the Gold Coast, near Brisbane, Doohan attended St...

 is an example of one such rider who raced the 8 Hours early in his career but had his contractual obligations to the race removed following his significant success in 500cc (now MotoGP).

On the other hand, high-level Japanese riders return for the race annually as it is regarded by the Japanese as one of the biggest motorsport events on the calendar. As the Coke Zero Suzuka 8 Hours is part of the FIM World Endurance Racing Championship, its priority on the international calendar, along with the off-weeks in the FIM calendar, makes this race one of the most crucial on the schedule.

Winners

Year Riders Manufacturer Motorcycle Plate Number
2010   Takumi Takahashi
  Ryuichi Kiyonari
Ryuichi Kiyonari
is a professional motorcycle road racer. He is the 2006, 2007 and 2010 British Superbike champion, and he currently rides for HM Plant Honda in the British Superbike Championship. He also won the 2008 Suzuka 8-Hour race, teamed with his former WSBK team-mate Carlos Checa...


  Takaaki Nakagami
Takaaki Nakagami
is a Moto2 world championship rider from Japan, who rides for the Italtrans Racing Team.-By seasons and teams:-References:* -External links:*...

Honda
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...

CBR1000RRW
Honda CBR1000RR
The CBR1000RR, also known as the Fireblade, is a liquid-cooled inline four-cylinder sport bike that was introduced by Honda in 2004 to replace the CBR954RR.-Racing roots:...

634
2009   Daisaku Sakai
  Kazuki Tokudome
  Nobuatsu Aoki
Nobuatsu Aoki
is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. Aoki began his Grand Prix career in 1990 and won his first and only Grand Prix at the 250cc Malaysian Grand Prix. His best season was in 1997, when he finished third in the 500cc world championship behind Mick Doohan and Tadayuki Okada...

Suzuki
Suzuki
is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...

S-GSX-R1000
Suzuki GSX-R1000
The GSX-R1000 is a sport bike from Suzuki's GSX-R series of motorcycles. It was introduced in 2001 to replace the GSX-R1100 and is powered by a liquid-cooled inline four-cylinder, four-stroke engine.-2001:...

12
2008   Ryuichi Kiyonari
Ryuichi Kiyonari
is a professional motorcycle road racer. He is the 2006, 2007 and 2010 British Superbike champion, and he currently rides for HM Plant Honda in the British Superbike Championship. He also won the 2008 Suzuka 8-Hour race, teamed with his former WSBK team-mate Carlos Checa...


  Carlos Checa
Carlos Checa
Carlos "Charlie" Checa is a professional motorcycle road racer and winner of the 2011 Superbike World Championship. After racing in 500cc and MotoGP for over a decade, mostly on Honda and Yamaha machinery with and without full manufacturer support, he moved to the Superbike World Championship on a...

Honda
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...

CBR1000RRW
Honda CBR1000RR
The CBR1000RR, also known as the Fireblade, is a liquid-cooled inline four-cylinder sport bike that was introduced by Honda in 2004 to replace the CBR954RR.-Racing roots:...

11
2007   Yukio Kagayama
Yukio Kagayama
Yukio Kagayama is a professional motorcycle road racer. He began motorcycle racing in 1990, spending many years in the All Japan Road Race Championship, finishing fourth in 2001. He contested four 250 cc World Championship races in 1997 and 1998, finishing top-8 in all four...


  Kousuke Akiyoshi
Kousuke Akiyoshi
is a Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. He is known in his native Japan as a competitor in the All Japan Superbike championship, where he has enjoyed success with the Yoshimura Suzuki team riding a Suzuki GSX-R1000. In July 2007 he, along with Yukio Kagayama, won the...

Suzuki
Suzuki
is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...

S-GSX-R1000
Suzuki GSX-R1000
The GSX-R1000 is a sport bike from Suzuki's GSX-R series of motorcycles. It was introduced in 2001 to replace the GSX-R1100 and is powered by a liquid-cooled inline four-cylinder, four-stroke engine.-2001:...

34
2006   Takeshi Tsujimura
Takeshi Tsujimura
is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from Japan. Tsujimura began his Grand Prix career in 1993 with Yamaha. He enjoyed his best season in 1994 when he won four races and finished the season in third place behind Kazuto Sakata and Noboru Ueda in the 125cc world championship. In 2006, he...


  Shinichi Itoh
Shinichi Itoh
born in Kakuda, Miyagi, Japan) is a retired professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He has raced extensively in Japanese and International championships. Ito has competed in the All Japan Road Race Championship, and won the Japanese 500 cc Championship, and is also 3 times Japanese...

Honda CBR1000RRW 778
2005   Tohru Ukawa
Tohru Ukawa
is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from Japan.Ukawa began his Grand Prix career in 1994, racing in the 250cc world championships. He finished second to Valentino Rossi in the 1999 World Championship...


  Ryuichi Kiyonari
Ryuichi Kiyonari
is a professional motorcycle road racer. He is the 2006, 2007 and 2010 British Superbike champion, and he currently rides for HM Plant Honda in the British Superbike Championship. He also won the 2008 Suzuka 8-Hour race, teamed with his former WSBK team-mate Carlos Checa...

Honda CBR1000RRW 7
2004   Tohru Ukawa
Tohru Ukawa
is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from Japan.Ukawa began his Grand Prix career in 1994, racing in the 250cc world championships. He finished second to Valentino Rossi in the 1999 World Championship...


  Hitoyasu Izutsu
Honda CBR1000RRW 7
2003   Yukio Nukumi
  Manabu Kamada
Honda VTR1000SPW
Honda RC51
The Honda RC51, also known as the RVT1000R or VTR1000 , is a V-twin motorcycle produced by Honda from 2000 to 2006.- Mechanicals and chassis :...

71
2002   Daijiro Kato
Daijiro Kato
was a Japanese Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and the 2001 World Champion in the 250cc class.-Biography:Kato was born in Saitama, and started racing miniature bikes at an early age, becoming a four-time national champion in the Japanese pocket-bike championship.He began road racing in 1992, and...


  Colin Edwards
Colin Edwards
Colin Edwards II nicknamed the Texas Tornado is an American professional motorcycle racer. He is a two time World Superbike champion and has competed in MotoGP since 2003, now riding for the Yamaha Tech 3 team in the 2011 season.-Early years:At the age of three, his Australian father, Colin...

Honda VTR1000SPW 11
2001   Valentino Rossi
Valentino Rossi
Valentino Rossi, , is an Italian professional motorcycle racer and multiple MotoGP World Champion. He is one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time, with nine Grand Prix World Championships to his name – seven of which are in the premier class.Following his father, Graziano Rossi,...


  Colin Edwards
Colin Edwards
Colin Edwards II nicknamed the Texas Tornado is an American professional motorcycle racer. He is a two time World Superbike champion and has competed in MotoGP since 2003, now riding for the Yamaha Tech 3 team in the 2011 season.-Early years:At the age of three, his Australian father, Colin...

Honda VTR1000SPW 11
2000   Tohru Ukawa
Tohru Ukawa
is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from Japan.Ukawa began his Grand Prix career in 1994, racing in the 250cc world championships. He finished second to Valentino Rossi in the 1999 World Championship...


  Daijiro Kato
Daijiro Kato
was a Japanese Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and the 2001 World Champion in the 250cc class.-Biography:Kato was born in Saitama, and started racing miniature bikes at an early age, becoming a four-time national champion in the Japanese pocket-bike championship.He began road racing in 1992, and...

Honda VTR1000SPW 4
1999   Tadayuki Okada
Tadayuki Okada
Tadayuki 'Taddy' Okada is a retired Japanese professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He was runner-up in the 1994 250cc and in the 1997 500cc World Championship.-Early career:...


  Alex Barros
Alex Barros
Alex Barros is a Brazilian motorcycle road racer. After a long career in MotoGP, for 2006 he moved to the Superbike World Championship...

Honda RC45 4
1998   Shinichi Itoh
Shinichi Itoh
born in Kakuda, Miyagi, Japan) is a retired professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He has raced extensively in Japanese and International championships. Ito has competed in the All Japan Road Race Championship, and won the Japanese 500 cc Championship, and is also 3 times Japanese...


  Tohru Ukawa
Tohru Ukawa
is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from Japan.Ukawa began his Grand Prix career in 1994, racing in the 250cc world championships. He finished second to Valentino Rossi in the 1999 World Championship...

Honda RC45 33
1997   Shinichi Itoh
Shinichi Itoh
born in Kakuda, Miyagi, Japan) is a retired professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He has raced extensively in Japanese and International championships. Ito has competed in the All Japan Road Race Championship, and won the Japanese 500 cc Championship, and is also 3 times Japanese...


  Tohru Ukawa
Tohru Ukawa
is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from Japan.Ukawa began his Grand Prix career in 1994, racing in the 250cc world championships. He finished second to Valentino Rossi in the 1999 World Championship...

Honda RC45 33
1996   Colin Edwards
Colin Edwards
Colin Edwards II nicknamed the Texas Tornado is an American professional motorcycle racer. He is a two time World Superbike champion and has competed in MotoGP since 2003, now riding for the Yamaha Tech 3 team in the 2011 season.-Early years:At the age of three, his Australian father, Colin...


  Noriyuki Haga
Noriyuki Haga
, is a Japanese professional motorcycle racer. Haga has been runner-up in the Superbike World Championship three times, and has finished 3rd in the series four times....

Yamaha YZF750
Yamaha YZF750
The Yamaha YZF750 is a motorcycle that was produced from 1993 to 1998 in two forms, the standard R and the single seat SP. The 750R was the only available version offered to consumers in the US....

45
1995   Aaron Slight
Aaron Slight
Aaron Tony Slight is a former professional motorcycle road racer who has recently dabbled in car racing and now fronts the AA Torque Show....


  Tadayuki Okada
Tadayuki Okada
Tadayuki 'Taddy' Okada is a retired Japanese professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He was runner-up in the 1994 250cc and in the 1997 500cc World Championship.-Early career:...

Honda RC45 11
1994   Doug Polen
Doug Polen
Doug Polen is a former world champion motorcycle road racer. He raced successfully in AMA Superbike, Japanese Superbikes, Superbike World Championship and Endurance racing....


  Aaron Slight
Aaron Slight
Aaron Tony Slight is a former professional motorcycle road racer who has recently dabbled in car racing and now fronts the AA Torque Show....

Honda RC45 11
1993   Scott Russell
Scott Russell (motorcyclist)
Raymond Scott Russell , aka Mr. Daytona, is an American sportscar racer and former championship motorcycle road racer, born in East Point, Georgia. He is a former World Superbike and AMA Superbike Champion, has won the Daytona 200 a record five times, and won the Suzuka 8 Hours in 1993...


  Aaron Slight
Aaron Slight
Aaron Tony Slight is a former professional motorcycle road racer who has recently dabbled in car racing and now fronts the AA Torque Show....

Kawasaki ZXR-7
Kawasaki Ninja ZX-7R
Kawasaki's ZX-7R, which replaced the more race-oriented ZXR-750, is the company's most recent 750cc class supersports bike. The ZX-7R was first made available to the public in 1995, and remained largely unchanged through its production, which ended in 2003....

1
1992   Wayne Gardner
Wayne Gardner
Wayne Michael Gardner OAM is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and touring car racer. His most notable achievement was winning the 1987 500 cc Motorcycle World Championship, becoming the first Australian to win motorcycling's premier class...


  Daryl Beattie
Daryl Beattie
Daryl Beattie is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer.Beattie posted several good results at the beginning of the 1992 500cc Grand Prix season then teamed up with Wayne Gardner to win the prestigious Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race in Japan...

Honda RVF750 11
1991   Wayne Gardner
Wayne Gardner
Wayne Michael Gardner OAM is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and touring car racer. His most notable achievement was winning the 1987 500 cc Motorcycle World Championship, becoming the first Australian to win motorcycling's premier class...


  Mick Doohan
Honda RVF750 11
1990   Tadahiko Taira
Tadahiko Taira
Tadahiko Taira is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from Japan. He was a three-time winner of the All Japan 500cc championship. Taira began his Grand Prix career in 1984 with Yamaha. He enjoyed his best season in 1987 when he finished the season in sixth place overall in the 500cc world...


  Eddie Lawson
Eddie Lawson
Eddie Lawson is a former four-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champion. His penchant for not crashing & consistently finishing in the points earned him the nickname "Steady Eddie".-Biography:...

Yamaha YZF750
Yamaha YZF750
The Yamaha YZF750 is a motorcycle that was produced from 1993 to 1998 in two forms, the standard R and the single seat SP. The 750R was the only available version offered to consumers in the US....

21
1989   Dominique Sarron
Dominique Sarron
Dominique Sarron is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from France. His best year was in 1986 when he won the Brazilian Grand Prix and finished in third place in the 250cc world championship behind Carlos Lavado and Sito Pons...


  Alex Vieira
Honda RVF750 2
1988   Kevin Magee
  Wayne Rainey
Wayne Rainey
Wayne Wesley Rainey, born in Downey, California, United States, is a former American Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, he won the 500cc World Championship three times and the Daytona 200 once. He was characterized by his smooth, calculating riding...

Yamaha YZF750 3
1987   Martin Wimmer
Martin Wimmer
Martin Wimmer is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from Germany. He had his best year in 1985 when he won the German Grand Prix, and had two second places, finishing the 250cc season in fourth place behind Freddie Spencer, Anton Mang and Carlos Lavado.In 1987, Yamaha teamed him with Kevin...


  Kevin Magee
Yamaha YZF750 21
1986   Wayne Gardner
Wayne Gardner
Wayne Michael Gardner OAM is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and touring car racer. His most notable achievement was winning the 1987 500 cc Motorcycle World Championship, becoming the first Australian to win motorcycling's premier class...


  Dominique Sarron
Dominique Sarron
Dominique Sarron is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from France. His best year was in 1986 when he won the Brazilian Grand Prix and finished in third place in the 250cc world championship behind Carlos Lavado and Sito Pons...

Honda RVF750 4
1985   Wayne Gardner
Wayne Gardner
Wayne Michael Gardner OAM is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and touring car racer. His most notable achievement was winning the 1987 500 cc Motorcycle World Championship, becoming the first Australian to win motorcycling's premier class...


  Masaki Tokuno
Honda RVF750 3
1984   Mike Baldwin
Mike Baldwin (motorcyclist)
Mike Baldwin is a former motorcycle road racer. He was a top contender in AMA Superbike racing during the 1980s who also competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing....


  Fred Merkel
Fred Merkel
Fred Merkel is an American former motorcycle road racer and two-time Superbike world champion....

Honda RS750R 1
1983   Hervé Moineau
  Richard Hubin
Suzuki
Suzuki
is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...

GS1000R
Suzuki GS series
The Suzuki GS series is a line of motorcycles featuring air-cooled parallel-twin and Inline four engines with two or four valves per cylinder. The GS-range of models are considered to be examples of Universal Japanese motorcycles. The range of motorcycles in the series had engine displacements...

6
1982   Shigeo Iijima
  Shinji Hagiwara
Honda CB900F
Honda CB series
One of the most extensive lines of Honda motorcycles is the CB Series which contains many of their most revered earlier models. Many CB models are still sold as commuting and cruising bikes. All CB series motorbikes have inline engines...

27
1981   Mike Baldwin
Mike Baldwin (motorcyclist)
Mike Baldwin is a former motorcycle road racer. He was a top contender in AMA Superbike racing during the 1980s who also competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing....


  David Aldana
David Aldana
David Aldana is a former motorcycle racer who specialized in dirt track oval racing and road racing. In the 1970s, he was one of the more colorful racers in the A.M.A. Grand National Championship with his wild riding style and extravagant designs on his riding attire...

Honda RS1000
Honda CB series
One of the most extensive lines of Honda motorcycles is the CB Series which contains many of their most revered earlier models. Many CB models are still sold as commuting and cruising bikes. All CB series motorbikes have inline engines...

1
1980   Wes Cooley
Wes Cooley (motorcyclist)
Wester Steven Cooley, , better known as Wes, was a motorcycle road racer in the AMA Superbike class. He won the 1979 and 1980 AMA Superbike Championships on a Yoshimura Suzuki GS1000s....


  Graeme Crosby
Graeme Crosby
Graeme Crosby is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from New Zealand. A supremely versatile rider, Crosby holds the distinction of having won the Daytona 200, the Imola 200, the Suzuka 8 Hours, and the Isle of Man TT....

Suzuki
Suzuki
is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...

GS1000
Suzuki GS series
The Suzuki GS series is a line of motorcycles featuring air-cooled parallel-twin and Inline four engines with two or four valves per cylinder. The GS-range of models are considered to be examples of Universal Japanese motorcycles. The range of motorcycles in the series had engine displacements...

12
1979   Tony Hatton
Tony Hatton
Anthony George Hatton is an English first-class cricketer, who played three matches for Yorkshire County Cricket Club in 1960 and 1961....


  Michael Cole
Honda CB900
Honda CB series
One of the most extensive lines of Honda motorcycles is the CB Series which contains many of their most revered earlier models. Many CB models are still sold as commuting and cruising bikes. All CB series motorbikes have inline engines...

6
1978   Wes Cooley
Wes Cooley (motorcyclist)
Wester Steven Cooley, , better known as Wes, was a motorcycle road racer in the AMA Superbike class. He won the 1979 and 1980 AMA Superbike Championships on a Yoshimura Suzuki GS1000s....


  Mike Baldwin
Mike Baldwin (motorcyclist)
Mike Baldwin is a former motorcycle road racer. He was a top contender in AMA Superbike racing during the 1980s who also competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing....

Suzuki GS1000 2

External links

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